Whiffletree-hook.



. C. H. BOLT.

WHIFFLETREE HOOK. APPLICATION men MAY 16, 1.911.

ym/I214 woes COLUMBUS I-I. BOLT, or ARTESIA, CALIFORNIA.

WHIFFLETREE-HOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 23, 191?.

Application filed May 16, 1917. Serial No. 169,045.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, COLUMBUS H. BoL'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Artesia, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Whiflietree-Hook; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in whiflietree hooks.

One of its objects is the provision, in a device of this character, of a gravity operated closure for the hook.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for operating the closure of the hook in different angular positions of the latter.

Other objects will appear in the detailed description which follows.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be confined to the exact construction herein disclosed, the right being reserved to make any changes or alterations falling within the scope of what is claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the hook.

Fig. 9. is an elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-8 of Fig. 2.

Referring more especially to the drawings 3 designates a whiffletree hook as a whole, and'which is U-shaped as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and has one of its arms provided with an eye 6 which is designed to engage a loop (not shown) of a whiffietree (not shown), and the other arm of said hook is provided with means for holding the closure lever 141 in a closed position, irre: spective of whether the eye 6 lies in a horizontal or a vertical plane. This holding means comprises a sleeve member 11 loosely mounted upon the lower arm of the hook 3 and secured against longitudinal movement on the arm by pins 12 which abut the sleeve on either end. The end of the lower arm is slotted and receives between the walls of this slot the closure lever 14: which is pivotally supported on pin 15. The sleeve member 11 is provided with an integral extending arm 13 which terminates near the end of the lower arm of the hook 8. This arm enters a slot formed in the lever 16 and effects a pivotal connection with the latterby means of the pin 17. Above its pivotal connection with the arm 13, the lever 16 is provided with a pair of arcuate arms 18 which straddle the closure lever 14: and abut the latter on its front and back edges.

It is obvious that the lever 16 operates to keep the lever 14 in the position of closure, whether the hook 3 is attached to a whittletree with the eye 6 in a vertical plane or in a horizontal plane or whether the eye 6 has any angular position between these two planes. WVhen the eye 6 is brought into a vertical plane, the lever 14 is perforce brought into a horizontal plane but the lever 16 remains in a vertical plane because the sleeve 11 and arm 13 are permitted to slide around the lower arm of the hook 8 and the force of gravity operates to keep this lever 16 in a vertical plane. The lever 14, however, is always engaged by the arcuate arms 18 and the lever 16, being held in a vertical position by gravity, always keeps the lever 14 in the position of closure.

What is claimed is: y

1. A whifl'letree hook comprising a U- shaped hook member having one leg adapted for attachment to a whitfietree and the other leg provided with a slot in the end thereof, and a leverpivoted in the slot and adapted to form a closure for the hook member, the leverbeing provided With gravity operated means for keeping it in the position of clo sure, irrespective of whether the hook member lies in a horizontal plane or in a vertical plane or any plane therebetween.

2. A whiffletree hook comprising a U- shaped hook member having one leg adapted for attachment to a whifiietree and the other leg provided with a slot in the end thereof, a lever pivoted in the slot and adapted to form a closure for the hook member, a sleeve member loosely mounted on the slotted leg of the hook member, the sleeve member be ing provided with an integral extending arm, and a gravity operated lever pivotally connected to the arm, the gravity operated lever having a pair of arcuate arms which straddle the closure lever and abut the latter on its front and back edges.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

COLUMBUS H. BOLT.

Witnesses:

Gno. A. FRAMPTON, E. M. HOWE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. l 

